JoeWillauer-LetterHello All:

While it’s finally starting to feel like spring outside we’ve been busy this winter working hard to help lead Butte’s economic development efforts.  It’s been a big spring, highlighted by the announcement of the new Praxis Center in uptown.  We have supported this project from it’s initial stages, and couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities it will bring to town.  Accompanying this announcement we were very excited to work with the new acquisition of the Finlen Hotel.  Obviously a landmark of our community, the new owners are working hard to provide a unique lodging experience in Uptown while maintaining this incredibly significant building.

We have been working diligently with our great partners at the Chamber and Butte-Silver Bow to support our many amazing local businesses, and hosted the Butte Outdoor Sector Summit in March.  The meeting showcased the economic impact that Outdoor Recreation has on Montana, and specifically in Butte.  It also featured a panel of business owners locally and from Bozeman to talk about how important the outdoors are to their businesses and how they leverage those resources for business success.  The conclusion was the introduction of our new campaign, Basecamp Butte!   We will be following up this meeting with a working group to bring Basecamp Butte to life, and this will kick off May 15th.

Lastly, we understand the importance of ensuring that Butte is competitive when it comes to attracting new businesses.  We have submitted an application to become a designated Opportunity Zone.  If successful, the program would provide tax breaks for investment in the designated area.  The application closed at the end of this month, and census tracts will be selected later this spring.

Sincerely,

Joseph J. Willauer

 

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